Most professionals spend their careers waiting to be noticed.
They trust that if they continue to work hard in their day job, promotions will follow, believing that visibility is a reward, not a strategy. Gregory Andre MacKenney Sr, CEO of GM Titan and Associates LLC, built a different playbook that took him from electrical engineering intern to Vice President & General Manager of a $500 million business division and eventually into entrepreneurship.
In my latest episode of Your Next Promotion: From Invisible to Influential, Gregory breaks down exactly how he did it.
🎧 Watch the full conversation here:
👉 How to Rise from Intern to $500M Division VP to CEO — The Leadership Playbook No One Teaches
Before you do, here are a few masterclass moments worth sitting with:
The Awareness Gap
Research by Dr. Tasha Eurich found that only 10–15% of people are truly self-aware. Even the most driven, high-performing leaders carry blind spots. Gregory uses the Marshall Goldsmith Stakeholder Centered Coaching framework to surface honest data from the people who actually experience your leadership in real time. Because you’re not evaluated by who you think you are, you’re evaluated by how others experience you.
Feedback vs. Feedforward
Instead of just seeking feedback on what you did wrong, try this feedforward approach that is more tangible, future-focused, and actionable:
“What would you suggest I do to be seen by you as more effective?”
That one shift turns vague criticism into specific, actionable guidance you can work on.
Stretch Assignments Build Credibility
Gregory didn’t rise by staying in his lane. He attributes his rise to embracing stretch assignments and taking challenging projects across manufacturing, R&D, and marketing that were outside his daily job. That’s how he built credibility, trust, and influence, long before the title followed.
Turning “No” Into “Not Yet”
When he was rejected and passed over for a senior management role, Gregory didn’t complain. Instead, he asked for feedback and followed up with a bold ask:
“Based upon the feedback you gave me, I see you have the qualities of what I need to improve on… would you be willing to mentor me?”
That “no” transformed into a mentorship that later became a sponsorship. Eventually, that person was “in the room” advocating for his name when the VP opportunity arrived.
A “no” is rarely a rejection of your potential. It’s a signal your value hasn’t reached the right room yet.
The 3 Layers of Executive Presence
Gregory’s executive presence framework is simple and powerful. He defines how you show up at three levels:
Layer 1 — The Executives: Knowing you belong at the table and preparing a “scouting report” to understand stakeholder priorities and pet peeves before you walk in.
Layer 2 — Strategic Clarity: Being able to clearly explain the “Why” behind decisions to the broader organization.
Layer 3 — The Team: Staying connected and accessible through skip-level meetings to understand the reality of “boots on the ground.”
Resilience: The $500M Pivot
After 3.5 years leading the company’s best-performing division, Gregory’s role was eliminated during organizational restructuring. Rather than exiting with bitterness, he viewed it as a “setup” for his next chapter and left with a better question:
“If failure is success turned inside out, what are you going to do differently next time?”
That mindset is what turns disruption into reinvention.
The Compounding Habit: Authentic Curiosity
In the current age of AI, Gregory believes human connection is still the leader’s greatest competitive edge. He practices authentic curiosity, meeting with employees and genuinely asking about their stories, goals, and aspirations. This curiosity builds the psychological safety and trust required to multiply your impact.
Because when people feel seen, they engage differently. And when engagement rises, so does your impact.
Ready to build meaningful impact?
These aren’t feel-good leadership clichés. This is a repeatable leadership playbook no one teaches.
Most professionals focus on performance, but the ones who accelerate their careers are those that focus on how their leadership is experienced and advocated for in the rooms they’re not in.
🎧 Watch the full conversation and take notes:
👉 How to Rise from Intern to $500M Division VP to CEO — The Leadership Playbook No One Teaches
Where might you be relying on performance when you should be working on how your leadership is experienced by others?
If you’re serious about becoming a visible, trusted, and chosen leader before performance is ever questioned,
👉 Comment “CONFIDENCE” or send me a message.
I’ll personally help you take your next step.
Clarity → Action → Impact.
Felix Okoth, PMP®
Founder, Locus Leadership Group | Executive Leadership Coach | Engineering Leader | Speaker | Podcast Host
#Clarity #Action #Impact #Leadership #SelfAwareness #Confidence #ExecutivePresence
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